Apple’s Smart Battery case does solve the most pressing problem for the iPhone 6s, but there are plenty of better and cheaper alternatives.

The iPhone 6s is a great phone for the most part, as we discuss in our review, but there’s a big, glaring problem, and that’s the battery life.

For a premium smartphone in 2015, the iPhone 6s struggles with sub-par battery life, even compared to its own sibling, the iPhone 6s Plus. There are numerous battery packs and cases that you can buy to charge an iPhone 6s, but the $165 Apple Smart Battery Case is the first Apple-led device to tackle the iPhone power problem.

Here are the essential specifications for the Apple Smart Battery case against a range of competing iPhone battery cases:

iPhone 6s Battery Cases

Model

Battery Capacity

Weight

Price

Apple Smart Battery Case

1877mAh

100g

$165

Mophie Juice Pack Plus

3300mAh

110g

$149.95

Incipio offGRID Backup Battery Case

3000mAh

99.7g

$119.95

Lifeproof Fre Power

2600mAh

122g

$179.99

Upsides: Why you’d want the Apple iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case

Stylish design: It’s very much an aesthetic call, but the Smart Battery case avoids the trap of most of the rest of the battery case market with a simple hunch at the rear of the phone, rather than a battery enclosure that significantly bulks up the phone

Added iOS features: Being a first-party Apple product means that the Smart Battery case gets integration features not found in other battery products, including a distinct notification window that shows the battery status of both the case and the connected iPhone 6s.

Improved battery life: This is obviously the key benefit of the Smart Battery Case. In anecdotal testing with a 6S using it the same way as we normally would, we were able to get two full days of battery life from the iPhone 6s; without the battery case we would easily have run out by the end of the first day.In battery benchmark terms, here is how the same iPhone 6s handset compared running Geekbench’s battery test with the screen dimmed with and without the case installed:

Geekbench Battery Results

Battery Time

Battery Score

iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case

7:21:10

4407

iPhone 6s without Smart Battery Case

3:52:10

2321

Lightning throughout: Most competing cases use microUSB connectors, which could be problematic if you don’t have a microUSB charger handy. The Smart Battery case connects directly to the iPhone 6s lightning port and mirrors that with a lightning connector at the base itself.

Better battery life, but not the best: The Smart Battery case does add power to your iPhone 6s, but pretty much every other major battery case offers more actual power than the Smart Battery’s rather paltry 1877mAh battery can give you.

Headphone port needs an extension cable: This is something that most battery cases struggle with, because there’s no easy way to integrate audio without an inbound audio plug, which would add to the overall cost of the case. Apple doesn’t provide an extension cable with the case, so unless you’re using their own headphones, or going Bluetooth only, your existing headphones may not work at all.

No power switch: The Smart Battery Case is always on and always charging a connected phone, which may not suit the way you want to actually use it. Some competing battery cases have specific on/off switches that give that power control back to you.

Who is it best suited for? What are my other options?

iPhone 6s battery life is a significant problem, and it’s one that the Apple iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case does solve to a significant extent.

The issue is that it does so at a premium price in a market where there are a lot of alternatives, most of which are cheaper or have better battery performance, and quite often both. If you’re going to compromise the light weight and thin profile of your iPhone 6s, you may as well get as much extra battery life as possible.

Apple could fix the battery problem for whatever the iPhone 6s’ successor model is simply by making the phone a little thicker, and it’s not hard to think that this would solve the battery problem more elegantly than the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case does.

Where can I get it?

Apple sells the Apple iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case through its online store and its own Apple stores.

Ask an Expert

Do not enter personal information (eg. surname, phone number, bank
details) as your question will be made public

finder.com.au is a financial comparison and information service, not a bank or
product provider

We cannot provide you with personal advice or recommendations

Your answer might already be waiting – check previous questions
below to see if yours has already been asked

Your Question

Subscribe to the Finder newsletter for the latest money tips and tricks

Notify me via email when there is a reply

Finder only provides general advice and factual information, so consider your own circumstances, read the PDS or seek advice before you decide to act on our content. By submitting a question, you're accepting our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer -
Hive Empire Pty Ltd (trading as finder.com.au, ABN: 18 118 785 121) provides factual information, general advice and services on financial products as a Corporate Authorised Representative (432664) of Advice Evolution Pty Ltd AFSL 342880. Please refer to our FSG - Financial Products. We also provide general advice on credit products under our own Credit Licence ACL 385509. Please refer to our Credit Guide for more information. We can also provide you with general advice and factual information on about a range of other products, services and providers. We are also a Corporate Authorised Representative of Countrywide Tolstrup Financial Services Group Pty Ltd. ABN 51 586 953 292 AFSL 244436 for the provision of general insurance products. Please refer to our FSG - General Insurance. We hope that the information and general advice we can provide will help you make a more informed decision. We are not owned by any Bank or Insurer and we are not a product issuer or a credit provider. Although we cover a wide range of products, providers and services we don't cover every product, provider or service available in the market so there may be other options available to you. We also don't recommend specific products, services or providers. If you decide to apply for a product or service through our website you will be dealing directly with the provider of that product or service and not with us.
We endeavour to ensure that the information on this site is current and accurate but you should confirm any information with the product or service provider and read the information they can provide. If you are unsure you should get independent advice before you apply for any product or commit to any plan. (c) 2017.

Important information about this website

finder.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We compare from a wide set of major banks, insurers and product issuers.

finder.com.au has access to track details from the product issuers listed on our sites. Although we provide information on the products offered by a wide range of issuers, we don't cover every available product. You should consider whether the products featured on our site are appropriate for your needs and seek independent advice if you have any questions.

The identification of a group of products, as 'Top' or 'Best' is a reflection of user preferences based on current website data. On a regular basis, analytics drive the creation of a list of popular products. Where these products are grouped, they appear in no particular order.

Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment.

We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.

Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labelling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.

Providing or obtaining an estimated insurance quote through us does not guarantee you can get the insurance. Acceptance by insurance companies is based on things like occupation, health and lifestyle. By providing you with the ability to apply for a credit card or loan we are not guaranteeing that your application will be approved. Your application for credit products is subject to the Provider's terms and conditions as well as their application and lending criteria.

Please read our website terms of use for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.